Barnes Airport hangar project could give Westfield students a pathway to high paying jobs in aircraft industry

WESTFIELD – Take a quick glance at the drab hangar at Westfield-Barnes Airport, and you see old, gray siding and a leaky roof. But hidden inside is a potential future for Westfield students.

The final product might look like this: Westfield Vocational High School students work through a fast-track program in airplane maintenance and manufacturing at the airport. They move directly into an expanded air-related program at Westfield State University, and also feed into local companies hungry for talented, well-trained plane workers.

Companies lend support to the program and the graduated students support the companies, creating a self-sustaining system of local, high-paying jobs.

But it's a long road between now and that ambitious program.

The project as a whole, Airport Manager Brian Barnes said, is still just an idea, and its development depends on some big questions: What is the cost? Where is the money? Who is interested?

View full sizeHangar two is pictured July 3, 2014, at Westfield-Barnes Airport.Dan Warner/Masslive.com

Dromgold said there is a dire need for Airframe and Powerplant licensed mechanics. He and his nephew Jack Clark came up with the idea for the high school program, which would graduate students certified with the A&P license.

Dromgold is chairman of the Aviation Advisory Board, which is organizing the effort. That board is made up of community members from different fields who want to contribute to the program.

It’s a marathon to reach the end of an ambitious program like this, but organizers have found their first step: the hangar needs some work.

In June, Barnes, Czaporowski and Nicoletti presented the project to the Westfield Historical Commission, hoping it would recommend the hangar’s restoration for funding.

The hangar was built in 1939 to house planes and air equipment. It serves the same purpose today, but the structure has deteriorated.

View full sizeThe inside of hangar two is pictured July 3, 2014, at Westfield-Barnes Airport.Dan Warner/Masslive.com

Barnes said the hangar needs new electrical, plumbing and heating systems. The roof will be replaced. The siding, which covers the original brick, would come off and the original appearance would be restored.

The restoration would have benefits beyond the air program. Barnes said the hangar used to house barn dances and Oktoberfest celebrations. The high school’s shop area would only take up part of the large space, so community events could once again be held in the hangar.

Organizers will pitch their case — with a recommendation letter from the Historical Commission — to the Community Preservation Coalition July 10, hoping to receive some funding to get started. An upcoming structural analysis will help develop a restoration cost estimate.

Because the big project is in its planning stages, there is no strict timeframe. If the project’s backers hit all green lights, it could be ready to go as early as Fall 2015. However, Barnes said, it’s still just too early to tell.

Barnes said some local industry leaders have indicated they are watching the project closely. He hopes private businesses would be interested in playing a role in the program, such as funding or internship agreements.

The area already is a hub for the air industry; Gulfstream, Aero Fastener Co., B&E Precision Aircraft Components and other companies have operations in the area.

The jobs that students could feed into are stable in an industry that’s doing well, Barnes said. The median annual salary nationwide for aircraft mechanics in 2013 was more than $57,000, according to the Census Bureau.